BTS in 2023: despite their enforced hiatus, the K-pop superstars felt like they were here, singing and dancing, all along

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Historically, the mandatory service has been a turning point in careers, as male acts can lose momentum or evolve out of their bright-eyed early material.

When the BTS members, who range in age from 25 to 30, wrap up their military service in 2025, the group will almost certainly return to the same rapt crowds they last saw at four sold-out concerts in Los Angeles in 2021.

A lot is on the line for Big Hit and its parent company, Hybe, as it expands into hip-hop, Latin and global music. But 2023 shows that BTS’ members have built substantial reach as solo stars in the US.

“Right now, BTS represents a new standard for K-pop and international acts at large,” says Jeff Benjamin, a writer specialising in K-pop for Billboard and other outlets.

BTS’ time apart began when Jin enlisted in the South Korean army in December 2022. J-Hope followed suit, while Suga joined as a social service agent, probably because of an old shoulder injury, with a 21-month term.

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Yet over the past year, they have barely felt absent from pop culture. 2022’s greatest-hits double LP Proof came with two new songs, “Yet to Come (the Most Beautiful Moment)” and “Run BTS”, priming fans for the future.

In June, they released “Take Two”, a tender bro-down single in which the band promised unending fealty.

“Back in the day, the military service meant a complete isolation from the world,” says Choi Jae-yoon, chief executive and co-founder of the K-pop creative agency KAI Media and retail hub Hello82.

“The military service used to affect artists very much in the past, but now it doesn’t. The service got shortened, and it’s easier for artists to prepare both for joining and the comeback after.”

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Jenny Zha, chief executive of Infinitize, a K-pop-focused marketing agency, thinks that BTS are uniquely positioned to come out of military service with music that reflects the members’ challenges and changes while serving.

The members of BTS are “artists who have always allowed their music to be influenced by their personal journeys and understanding of the world”, she adds.

They may even have benefited from the time apart as solo acts. The individual chart successes of the BTS members allowed US pop fans to see new elements of their styles that the pre-existing devotees have always valued.

Jimin’s synth pop, Jungkook’s neo-disco acrobatics, V’s R&B and Suga’s rapping have all proved their mettle outside the context of the band.

But will K-pop audiences have moved on once BTS returns?

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“Artists are getting comfortable with the US market even more than before,” Choi says, “and the market is accepting the fact that BTS are not the only artists from South Korea’s music scene.”

“Is that the future, more acts releasing concurrent Spanish- and Chinese-language albums too?” Benjamin asks. “Hybe is getting smarter and more strategic about targeting different markets.”

“I think something like an Eras tour for them would be brilliant, because they do have very distinct conceptual moments,” Benjamin says. “But they might come back and say ‘Touring is tough’, it might not be what they’re looking for. They didn’t do a full world tour post-pandemic. I do wonder if that’s indicative of their mindset about touring.”

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If nothing else, the time away has sharpened the resolve of BTS’ fans to organise in their stead – and plan for their return, whenever it comes. Think Elvis returning from military service, times seven.

“Fans have always been at the core of BTS’ success due to their incredible organisation and gathering as a community,” Zha says.

“Fans are already starting to unite more closely to organise events, streaming parties or other community-building initiatives to keep BTS’ presence alive. This laser-like focus is also why BTS’ eventual reunion will be a sight to watch.”